Near the start of Broken Bells’ second album, James Mercer sings that he’s “got nothing left to give/It’s kind of wonderful.” The truth of the matter is the Shins frontman and Broken Bells partner Danger Mouse have plenty in the tank here — and it’s more than “kind of” wonderful. The duo’s Grammy-nominated 2010 debut and 2011 “Meyrin Fields” EP were exceptional surprises, a winning collusion rather than a collision of Mercer’s indie rock grace and Danger Mouse’s tasteful kitchen-sink sonics. “After the Disco” is even better, taking some of the spectral, nighttime ambience of “Broken Bells” and putting a more muscular beat behind it to create a contemporary brand of early-’80s New Wave with a smattering of techtronic rock flavors from David Bowie’s Berlin adventures. Mercer and Mouse don’t waste any time in showing off their ambitions, either, starting “After the Disco” with the six-minute-plus soundscape “Perfect World,” its airy, piano-driven opening morphing into kinetic dynamics, slinky synthesizer hooks and a sharp guitar solo. Mercer’s falsettos pierce the Beatlesy chorus of the single “Holding on For Life,” and songs such as “The Changing Lights,” “Control,” “No Matter What You’re Told” and the title track are soundtracks during, rather than after, the disco. “Lazy Wonderland” lets Broken Bells indulge in psychedelia, while “The Angel and the Fool” and “Leave It Alone” — the latter a bitter kiss-off laced with gospel-tinged backing vocals — provide gentler changes of pace. The duo still has something special going on here, and this second full album is a welcome demonstration of its staying power.

COUNTRY: Eric Paslay, “Eric Paslay,” (EMI Nashville), 3 Stars

Eric who? you may ask. It’s a fair question, but know that Paslay is already a big deal in the country world by virtue of the hits he’s written for Jake Owen, Love and Theft, Lady Antebellum, the Eli Young Band and others. Not surprisingly, his first artist album sounds like a collection of well-crafted singles — he even includes Lady A’s “Friday Night” and Big Kenny’s moving “Less Than Whole” amidst originals both perky (“Country Side of Heaven,” “Like a Song,” “Here Comes Love”) and tear-jerking (“She Don’t Love You,” “Good With Wine”), while “Song About a Girl” and “Never Really Wanted” lean to the contemporary side of country. A strong debut from an established name on the scene.

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